The use of digital wireless communication systems has recently been increasing. Systems of many different types have been introduced. For example, systems like Wireless LANs (Local Area Networks), digital radio DVB-T, UMTS and GSM are gaining more attention and users are given more alternatives in wireless communication. To get customers interested in new services it is essential that the equipment needed in order to use the services should be priced correctly. Receivers with low cost and low power consumption are thus needed.
A solution in affordable receivers with low power consumption is the use of a direct conversion analogue front-end architecture in the receivers. In the direct conversion solution, a received RF signal is directly mixed into the base band and afterwards analogue-to-digital converted. For the mixing process, two signals, a sine and a cosine signal, have to be provided. Because of technical reasons the precise orthogonality of both sinusoidal signals cannot be guaranteed; therefore an angle φ≠90° is measurable between the sine and cosine functions. This phenomenon is commonly called IQ phase imbalance.
Analogue base band components, such as low-pass filters and base-band amplifiers are always installed twice: one component for the I branch and one component for the Q branch. Because of manufacturing tolerances, different age or temperature influences, each component of a certain functional type may behave slightly differently compared with its counterpart on the other branch. Additionally, low-cost analogue low-pass filters may contain amplitude ripple, non-linear phase and they may insert ISI (Inter Symbol Interference). The conjunction of frequency dependent base band devices with the constant IQ phase imbalance imperfections result in frequency selective IQ phase imbalance inaccuracies. FIG. 1A shows as an example the effect of phase error φ=10° in a 64-QAM single carrier system. Precise IQ constellation points with a shift of 10° are visible. The Q branch values are not affected.
The phase imbalance problem is present in any system employing direct conversion receivers regardless of the modulation scheme or the multipie access solution. Particularly in a multicarrier system, such as WLAN, which uses OFDM, the problem is particularly severe, although it also affects single carrier systems, such as GSM or cable modems. FIG. 1B shows by way of example the effect of phase error φ=10° in a 64-QAM 64-FFT OFDM system. Compared to FIG. 1A, a shift of 10° is again visible in the IQ constellation diagram, but now both the I and Q branch values are affected by the IQ phase imbalance error.
To provide the required high signal accuracy in receivers it has to be guaranteed that analogue direct conversion front-end imperfections, such as IQ phase imbalance errors, will be minimal. So far, the solutions to the phase imbalance problem have assumed the use of high quality analogue base band components. Thus, the phase imbalance correction methods have not taken frequency dependency into account. However, in low cost consumer appliances the use of high quality components is impossible. Therefore, the current correction methods do not present a solution to phase imbalance correction in low cost receivers.